Cutler helps himself with fancy footwork

Bears quarterback stays upright against Vikings by moving in the pocket, rolling out

November 26, 2012|Dan Pompei | On the NFL

The player most responsible for keeping Jay Cutler clean Sunday was Jay Cutler.

The quarterback did a number of things well. What he did best was avoid pressure.

Cutler moved in the pocket before throwing six times. Cutler also rolled out four times. And he took off and ran two times. That added up to movement on 34 percent of his dropbacks.

The eight plays in which he moved or ran on his own could have been sacks.

But he was a moving target for Jared Allen and the Vikings' other pass rushers, and they didn't catch him once. The only time he was sacked was when he tripped over his center's foot.

And get this — every time Cutler moved, something good happened, or should have happened.

On the 10 times he threw after moving, he completed eight passes and drew a pass-interference penalty that set up a touchdown. His only incompletion should have been a 42-yard touchdown pass, but Brandon Marshall let a perfectly placed ball slip through his hands in the end zone.

The focus on Cutler's 13-yard touchdown pass to Matt Spaeth has understandably been on his superb throw and Spaeth's fine catch. But neither would have been possible had Cutler not avoided Allen first by rolling left.

One of my favorite Cutler plays from Sunday was a loss of 1 yard on a screen play to Michael Bush. It easily could have been a loss of 6. But it wasn't because Cutler avoided the blitzing Antoine Winfield by taking five quick steps back after his initial drop and then got the pass off.

Here is what else we learned after a second look.

Grading key: Grades are between 0 and 10 with 0 being complete failure and 10 being perfect.

Quarterback

Grade: 7.5

Cutler didn't make many NFL highlight reels, but he gets high marks for composure (except for tossing the football at A.J. Jefferson and drawing an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty), poise and savvy. His longest completion of the day was 20 yards.

He avoided mistakes well. Even his one interception probably should not have been an interception. Marshall reached up and tipped it with one hand, and the pass could have been caught.

Offensive line

Grade: 6

J'Marcus Webb bounced back in a big way after a terrible performance six days earlier. Webb was one-on-one with Allen 40 percent of the time, and he kept the four-time All-Pro at bay by using sound technique.

Webb had help on other plays, mostly from tight ends Spaeth and Kellen Davis, but also from backs and other linemen.

Offensive coordinator Mike Tice did a nice job of giving Webb help early to see how he was playing, and then letting him handle Allen alone more as the game went on. Tice also helped the linemen by calling for only one deep pass in the game.

The run blocking was below average, and the Bears clearly missed Lance Louis after he was injured. Gabe Carimi did well, though, considering the circumstances. He also made some nice blocks at tight end early in the game.

New right tackle Jonathan Scott played like a veteran and was pretty consistent. Fill-in guard Edwin Williams had a nice game.

Wide receivers

Grade: 7.5

This was a gritty performance by Marshall and company. Most of their work was in the middle of the field, and Marshall and Earl Bennett helped others by blocking with intensity.

Marshall's physical play is ideal as cold weather sets in. By breaking tackles, he gained 7 yards after contact on one play and 12 on another.

He also was fierce on passes in traffic, at one point coming up with a catch when four defenders were within a step and a half of him. He outwrestled Winfield for a ball they both appeared to catch.

Running backs

Grade: 5.5

The long run of the day was an 8-yarder, but both Bush and Matt Forte ran physically. On Bush's second touchdown run, he dragged linebacker Chad Greenway and safety Jamarca Sanford into the end zone. Forte plowed over safety Harrison Smith on his way to converting a third-and-5.

Tight ends

Grade: 5.5

That was a fine catch for a 13-yard touchdown by Spaeth, extending his arms and diving. Davis caught one but dropped two more.

Defensive line

Grade: 6.5

The front four put decent pressure on Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder but did not finish enough plays. They sacked him only twice, and the second sack was a coverage sack.

Defensive tackle Henry Melton sacked Ponder on the first play from scrimmage for a loss of 9 by putting a swim move on center John Sullivan and then sliding around guard Brandon Fusco.

Defensive ends Israel Idonije and Shea McClellin also stood out with consistent rush. They shared a sack, and Idonije had three pressures while McClellin had two.